Hot Chocolate
by aphinitea
Summary: Hot chocolate with a butter cookie on the side...Kai's favourite treat...or is it? KR! SLASH! you know you love it..or maybe not, but hey...


I am so so sorry that this took so long! Really really sorry! I was doing a HPDM fic…and well, there's another one of those coming up…but don't worry! I'm working on another KR fic…a long one…but I'm not putting it up until it's at least a third done (it will have around 30 chapters…) so yeah…this is just a snack….sort of…review please! As usual, great thanks to UKL and Only secret.

UKL: She took SO long… **rolls eyes**

SaFE: **eep** SORRY!

Only Secret: **eyes gleam**

UKL + SaFE: Uh oh…how much chocolate did she eat…

Rei: …hmm…16 bars?

UKL + SaFE: **pales**

Kai: **boredly** She went along with Max.

SaFE + UKL: **really pale now**

Rei: Well, they ALL don't own Beyblade…but SaFE owns the plot…

Kai: **looks at authoresses** I think we should go now, kitten.

Rei: **looks at authoresses with Kai** -**sweatdrops-** I agree…

**Kai + Rei move off**

Only Secret: **continues grinning**

SaFE: **big eyes**

UKL: **starts creeping backwards…

* * *

**

Hot Chocolate

Hot chocolate with a single butter cookie on the side. No marshmallows, no chocolate chips, no anything. Just one cup of steaming hot chocolate with a simple, plain butter cookie on the side.

Absolute heaven.

Nobody knew. He made _sure_ nobody knew.

Well.

_Almost_ nobody.

_Rei_ knew.

He didn't know how he knew. Maybe he'd found the stash of chocolate powder that Kai always hid at the back of the towel drawer. Or he'd spotted the difference in handwriting on the shopping lists, from Tyson s messy scrawls to Kai s almost-forged-by-an-expert imitation.

Whatever it was, one day –not even a month of getting to know each other–a mug of the substance was sitting on the breakfast table, just begging to be sipped.

He knew it'd been Rei. No one else could be so observant about things. No one else would even _bother_.

Tyson was just plain greedy. He'd probably eat the cookie before it even got to the plate…Max was way too sugar-and-Tyson obsessed to think about anything else…Kenny was computer-centric…and Hillary was astronomy-crazy.

He wondered for the millionth time why he'd _ever_ agreed to joining this team.

And then he remembered.

Because they'd never given up. They could have just let him go –let him perish at the mercy of the cold waters, the first time he'd betrayed him. He knew it; they knew it.

But they hadn't.

And h owed them only this much –the respect to stay and no matter what, he knew he'd found a place where he belonged.

He continued to glide silently to the kitchen. It was only 5 am; but he knew that it was normal time for him.

Whatever the day, rain or shine. Rei would have that mug with it s cookie sidekick on the table without fail.

Personally, he always wondered how the tiger got up so early and enter bed without so much as a creak of the door. He'd wake up, and Rei would already be in bed, purring away again.

Yes, purring. Rei purred. So what?

He had weird habits too. Take this one for instance: who ever heard of cold-hearted captains drinking warm, rich chocolate at five in the morning?

Correct: no one.

And he intended to keep it that way.

He sighed.

He didn't know if it would even be there today. Sure, Rei was ready for any sort of weather and storm possible. Hell, that cup was there even if it was –20 degrees Celsius outside (he should know…Russia that winter, etc.).

But it was the state of _heart_ Kai was concerned about.

After all, you don't normally forgive a person who's thrashed you mercilessly in public. Who has humiliated you down to your knees. Who has betrayed you.

No, not even a captain.

Probably not even a friend.

Which was a shame, really, since Rei did make a pretty mean butter cookie and a damned good mug of chocolate.

His face remained impassive to the little voice inside his head that told him that wasn't really the reason why he was so worried.

Lights flickered in the distance, and he turned the corner, fully expecting to have to go and boil the chocolate himself.

And not expecting the said item accompanied with a golden brown –yes it was!–butter cookie on the side, on the table.

For a minute or two, he couldn't do anything.

Then slowly, ever so slowly, his fingers reached for the handle. Closing his fingers securely around it, he started walking towards the door.

He used his free hand to reach for the doorknob.

They stopped in mid-air.

Somehow –he would never know how –his feet turned around and took him to the kitchen. Soundlessly –yes, Kai was a master of silence as well –he opened the door.

A dim light from the window illuminated the cream walls. Pots and pans glower eerily in the translucent moonlight.

In the corner, near the oak tabletop, was what looked like a snow-white bundle of clothes.

Kai hesitated; then he edged nearer.

On closer inspection, he could see two tanned arms slipping out of two cotton sleeves and loosely bound hair curling around a slender neck. He walked nearer, walking till he was almost beside the raven-haired boy.

Until he knew for certain that it was Rei.

The body he was standing next to shifted. Startled, he took a slight step backwards. Golden eyes stared straight forward.

"I know you're there."

Kai s eyes widened imperceptibly.

He faltered before sitting down. They stared into the same direction. Several minutes passed…the chocolate growing cold.

Still, they didn't move.

Then Rei leaned his head back, touching his head to the wall. He expelled a scarce breath, closing his eyes.

Kai turned to look at him. Skin glowed, luminescent in the stark lighting of the kitchen. The black, black hair flowed down like a river of darkness, slipping down the gentle slope that was Rei s neck.

Kai wondered why he suddenly felt like kissing that neck. He wondered what would happen if he did.

He didn't.

They sat in silence.

Rei moved. His head dropped down onto Kai s shoulder. Surprised, Kai stiffened. After a few moments, he relaxed.

"I hate you, you know."

The tone was almost conversational.

"I hate you because even if you beat me to a pulp, I wouldn't be able to hurt you back."

Kai listened.

"I hate you because, no matter how much you ignore me, or yell at me, I can't say anything."

Hesitantly, Kai placed his arm around Rei s shoulders.

"I hate that no matter how much you push me away…I'll always be there for you…and no matter how much you leave me, I'll just keep going back for more."

Kai turned his head so that Rei was pressing into his neck. His own face buried into Rei s soft, soft hair. Finally obeying the voice that said this was so, so right.

"I hate that you're just so damned sexy," Rei pouted. Kai laughed, tickling the skin of Rei s ear.

"I hate that I…" Rei hesitated. "I…"

Kai placed a thumb on his lips, silencing the quiet stuttering. Softly, he leaned forward and captured Rei s lips, tenderly massaging his mouth.

Carefully, he curled his fingers through the raven strands, turning Rei s head gently so he could run butterfly kisses down the smooth skin of Rei s collarbone.

"_I hate you…" _Rei moaned, as Kai laid his body on the tiles.

Kai chuckled.

"_I know."_

And Rei smiled up at him.

A little piece of heaven on the floor.


End file.
